


strangers in the city

by saltstuck



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Billy Hargrove Has a Crush on Steve Harrington, Bisexual Steve Harrington, Bus AU, City Bus Au, Fluff, Gay Billy Hargrove, M/M, Meet-Cute, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Swearing, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:46:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23033434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saltstuck/pseuds/saltstuck
Summary: Billy misses his Camaro, yeah, but the perpetually exhausted pretty boy he gets to stare at every day on the bus makes up for it.AKA Steve needs his coffee and Billy can't keep his eyes off of him.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 15
Kudos: 120





	strangers in the city

**Author's Note:**

> “We catch the same bus home and I always fall asleep, but you always wake me up at my stop”  
> I saw this prompt on the internet and my brain went OFF so here ya go, have some Harringrove City Bus Au ✨<  
> A song to listen to while you read : Something Has To Change by The Japanese House
> 
> *
> 
> Feel free to scream at me in the comments or on my [tumblr!](http://saltstuck.tumblr.com)

So, Billy is on the bus ‘cause he lives in the city now and it’s too damn expensive to afford rent for his shitty apartment _and_ own a car, especially since the Camaro would definitely get broken into or stolen in his neighborhood. He misses the freedom that driving allowed him but it’s not that far of a bus ride anyways so it’s fine, it’s whatever.

So, he’s on the bus, just like he always is at 7 am, on his way to his job at some big office downtown and it’s packed full of people doing the same thing, like usual. And he’s glancing around, trying to spot his favorite passenger among the throng of business professionals and college students.

Finally, he spots the familiar mess of brown hair peaking out from a black hoodie. Gets a little flutter in his stomach.

See, every morning this guy is dozing off with his head against the window. Every morning, without fail.

Billy can’t take his eyes off of him.

It’s become part of his routine, his favorite time of day. Operation: watch how long it takes for the pretty boy to fall asleep.

But here’s the thing… This guy always knows when it’s his stop. He’ll be out like a light, drooling a little out of those pretty pink lips, probably snoring if Billy got close enough to hear it, but the minute his stop is nearing, like a switch going off, he stirs.

It’s fucking fascinating.

Except for one day. Billy’s watching him from his seat in the back, listening to the stops being called out and waiting for the telltale shift of that gorgeous head of hair.

But it never comes.

The guy’s stop passes.

Then another.

Then finally, it’s a pot hole that does it. The bus shudders as it rolls through it and the guy jolts awake.

It’s hilarious really the way he can go from dead asleep to frantic in two seconds flat. Billy stifles a laugh behind his hand, watches the guy fly to the front of the bus and book it out the doors the second they stop.

He fights a grin the rest of the day, the image of that pretty boy sprinting past the bus windows playing on repeat in his head.

So, the next day, Billy decides he’s gunna help the poor guy out.

Finds a spot just behind his seat and counts the street numbers until it’s the one right before his.

He leans forward, nudges the seat with his knee, just enough to move him.

And just like yesterday, he jumps awake, panicked as hell and looking around.

Billy peers down at him, raising a brow. “Your stop?”

And the guy looks like an owl the way he blinks all slow, mutters, “Oh, thanks.”

Billy watches him get off and thinks, not for the first time, God, he’s adorable.

And again, Billy can’t get that damn boy off his mind for the rest of the day.

Unfortunately, his morning ritual changes.

Billy keeps looking but he hasn’t seen the pretty sleep-deprived stranger in weeks.

Which, you know, _happens_.

Maybe he got a car or he takes a different route or different time. And it’s fine, such is life. It’s part of why he likes the bus. He might never see these passengers again but for every morning and evening, they all share the same trip, the same moment of time, all these different lives packed into one metal box. There’s something real poetic about that shit.

But he’ll admit it, he is a little disappointed he’s got no one to entertain him in the mornings anymore.

So, one night, Billy coming back from the bar with some guy on his arm. They’re on the way to Billy’s house to go fuck, both piss drunk and way too loud for this nearly empty bus at 2 in the morning.

So they’re tottering along and his date keeps shushing him obnoxiously, grabbing onto Billy like a life line, and Billy’s cackling about some shit that went down at the bar when his date stumbles. Trips over some poor guy’s foot and goes sprawling into the next seat.

He’s quick to apologize but the guy just shrugs and pulls his feet in.

And Billy’s pulling the date towards the rear of the bus when he freezes. Does a double take so hard he sways on his feet and falls into the cushions. Rights himself real quick and points at the guy.

“Hey! It’s you!”

It’s his pretty sleep-deprived stranger!

Said sleep-deprived pretty boy looks up over the top of the seat, raises his eye brows like, _who me?_ Glances behind him at the very empty bus. Looks back at Billy.

Billy grins. “Yeah, I’m talkin’ to you, pretty boy.”

The guy hastily avoids eye contact and Billy staggers towards him.

Billy’s date squawks, “what the fuck?” and Billy shooes him away with a wave over his shoulder.

“It’s fine, go sit down, I just gotta talk to this guy real quick.”

The guy was already looking uncomfortable but now he looks utterly repulsed when Billy slides in next to him. “Dude, go away—“

“Where ya been? I haven’t seen you. Thought you were sleeping through your alarms now or something.”

Billy never thought someone could communicate such disgust with just a glance but this guy is doing it. “Did you drink the whole bar? Gross.”

And Billy outright giggles, ‘cause yeah he’s drunk as _shit_ but also ‘cause even the guy’s scrunched up nose is fucking adorable.

“Where ya going?”

“Home.”

Billy leans in closer, brackets his arms against the two seats.

“This late at night?” He lowers his voice to a dramatic fake whisper. “That’s dangerous. Need an escort?”

“Yeah, no, thank you,” Pretty boy snorts and presses himself farther against the window. Billy follows, scooting over until his thigh makes contact with his.

“Oh, c’mon, I’m real good at it.” Flashes a wide smile, tongue between his teeth.

Pretty boy glowers. Moves his leg away. “Don’t you have a date?”

Billy blinks. Oh, right. He pops his head over the seat and the guy is hunched over near the back, head in his hands. Poor guy probably has the spins.

Billy turns back and shrugs. “He’s good.”

He continues his creep into his space. “Now, about that escort…”

“Look, thanks for waking me up that one day but like, I’m just trying to get home and sit here in peace, dude. I don’t need an ‘escort’, alright? Back off.”

Billy wants to laughs again when this adorable little shit literally does finger quotes but he’s so serious and so annoyed that Billy bites it back. It’s sobering, actually, and Billy drops his act to level him with a pointed look.

“You sure?” he holds his hands up. “I promise, no funny business.”

Pretty boy scoffs but then he looks at him, really looks at him, and Billy can see the slight release of tension in his shoulders. He must realize that Billy’s being sincere ‘cause then he sighs and says,

“No, I’m good. Really.”

“Alright.” Not the answer he was looking for but whatever. Billy bobs his head and starts a reluctant return to his date. “I’ll see ya around then, pretty boy, yeah?”

“Yeah, sure,” Steve says belatedly, obviously surprised by Billy’s change of demeanor.

Billy nods, turns.

“Alright, big guy.” What was his name again? “This is our stop.”

The next day, the bus is jam packed when his not-so-stranger makes his entrance.

Billy watches him weigh his options. They’re not great apparently— he looks just as uncomfortable at the thought of being sardined between passengers as he is at standing next to Billy by the door.

Billy shrugs when they make eye contact. Gives him a look like, _what can you do_?

Finally, he sighs and makes his way over.

“Hey,” Billy says once he’s hooked a hand around the metal railing. “I see you didn’t need that escort after all.”

“Yeah, well, it looked like your date needed it more than I did,” pretty boy scoffs, staring out the window. Billy isn’t subtle in the way he studies his profile, delighted to be close enough to do it again, and sober this time.

“Probably.” His date had thrown up the second they’d gotten off the bus and Billy had ended up calling him a cab. Not that he was disappointed. Last thing on his mind was some random hookup. “I’m Billy, by the way. What was your name…?”

He eyes Billy’s offered hand warily but relents after a moment. “Steve.”

The handshake is over too quick, Billy instantly missing Steve’s warm palm the moment it leaves his. He peers out the window, pushing down his disappointment.

They fall into silence but it’s not long before Billy feels Steve’s eyes on him. He glances over and sure enough, that owl gaze is traveling over Billy’s chest and working it’s way down.

Billy smirks. “Like what you see?”

Steve startles at being caught looking and quickly, a little too quickly, says, “No, it’s just…” He gestures at all of Billy. “You must hate the suit.”

“What?” Billy looks down at himself. Frowns. But then he thinks back to the outfit he had on last night— low cut tank top, tits out, pair of jeans that make his ass look real good, the ones he’s gotta skip lunch to fit in. He grins. “Nah, I don’t mind it. Leaves a little to the _imagination_.”

He wiggles his eye brows, thrilled when Steve _blushes_ and avert his gaze.

“Didn’t figure you for the modesty type.”

“Not always,” Billy says with a wicked little laugh.

Steve rolls his eyes but Billy can see he’s fighting back a grin.

“I was out of town,” Steve says after a moment, breaking another pause in conversation.

At Billy’s questioning hum, he clarifies, “you asked me last night where I had been. Um, I was out of town.”

“Oh,” Billy says, surprised. He didn’t expect an explanation. He didn’t even expect him to continue to the conversation.

“Yeah.” Steve shifts on his feet. “well, this is my stop.”

“I know.”

“Right… okay, well,” he drags a hand through his hair, “See you tomorrow?”

Well, shit.

Billy’s grin grows. “Yeah, tomorrow.”

Billy doesn’t fight his stupid, lovesick smile for the rest of the day. Couldn’t even if he tried.


End file.
